Coasting Towards Year End

The nice thing about having no race plans is that I can just run. I used to love having a training plan with miles to accomplish, but I feel differently now. I'm enjoying my retirement from long-distance racing, and my knees are grateful for that, too. I saw my rheumatologist and my internist last week for checkups and both of them expressed amazement that I'm still running at my age and with RA; my annual mileage made my rheumatologist shake her head. I've been running so long that my body just dials in and lets me do my thing. I still lean on running to keep me sane, which has come in handy during this year's end craziness.

As long as I can run, everything else will fall into place. 

Just Keeping On

Our early spring was put on hold this week with the return of cold, windy, and snowy weather. By the end of the week, I was feeling a bit fatigued. I don't know if it was due to the cold weather, an impending illness, or just the toll of some very active weeks. I'm finally adjusted to the time difference and am sleeping better. Hopefully, when things warm back up, I'll find my mojo again!

A "Real" Winter

In spite of, or maybe because of that nice warm fall we had, we are now experiencing a full-on old-fashioned winter. It's the kind of winter that people reminisce about--"remember all the snow we used to get when we were kids?"--and I'm thinking that some memories are enhanced by time. 

Throughout the fall, I kept saying that we were going to pay for all that nice weather we were having. It seems like the universe always has a way of evening things out. It's been bitterly cold--schools have been closed most of the week-- and it's snowy. I'm not complaining except when it comes to running. I think I've run on my treadmill more this month than I did in all of 2023. As you read this, we are up at the lake and I am attempting my long run on the road. It's still very cold, but it's pretty, so fingers crossed I'll get all my miles in. You can check out my IG for the final verdict.

The forecast this week is for a thaw and while that sounds good in theory, it's likely not. Seasoned midwesterners know that usually means icy surfaces. I may finally have to cave and buy those Kahtoola spikes I've been eyeing. I wonder what kind of conditions we'll have for my upcoming half marathon?

Be Careful What You Wish For

I haven't been minding our mild winter at all. But I was hoping for a little snow- just to make things pretty and wintery. I should have known better because as extreme as the weather has been the past couple of years, at the end of this week, we got hit with a really wild snowstorm. Friday morning began with about 6 inches of heavy, wet snow and wind that chased me back inside before I could even start my run. As the morning went on, it changed to rain, turning the snow into slush, changing back to snow again, dropping about 4 more inches on top of the slush overnight. The wind continued, and during the day on Saturday, the temperatures began to drop.  It's going to be cold and windy for the next few days, which means most likely I'll be spending quality time with my TM.

A Wild Week

Wild seemed to be the theme for my week! The full moon was last Saturday, so I can't blame it on that, right?

The weather this week was definitely wild! The transition between fall and winter is always crazy, but this week, it was all over the place. We had 1.2" of snow on Halloween, which didn't set a record but was definitely unusual. Fortunately, the sun came out in the afternoon, but it was cold for the trick-or-treaters. By the end of the week, we were back in the 50s, which felt like summer. 

It was also a wild week at work. We're having a baby boom! I don't ever remember seeing so many newborns, but I am here for it. I seem to have at least one, maybe 2 newborns on my schedule every day. Our schedules continue to be full and there are more sick kids coming in, as you would expect in the fall. It's definitely keeping me on my toes.

It's never dull around here!

Some Friday Randomness because...

Hey, hey, hey! It's FRI-YAY and I don't have a topic for a blog post. Instead, I have a bunch of randomness that I wanted to share. No ads, no affiliate links, heck, no advice. It's really a blog post about nothing...or a lot of little somethings.

Coffee Talk

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

Let's catch up over coffee! Once a month, Deborah and Coco host a coffee chat where a bunch of bloggers talk about what's going on in our lives. Besides running, that is! I'm having a cup of that yummy Colectivo Co-Optiva that I picked up again in Madison last week. Don't you love regional coffees? Do you take anything in your coffee? I've got half and half over here...

Running in a Winter Wonderland

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

Garmins beep

Are you listening?

On the trail

Snow is glistening

A beautiful day

We're happy to say

We're running in a winter wonderland

-Apologies to Richard B. Smith, lyricist

Running in A Snow Globe

If you read Friday's post, you know that Chicago got hit with a whopper of a storm and I was agonizing over the possibility of not traveling to Birmingham. I prepared this post in advance hoping that today, I would be in Birmingham with Holly and I was able to run the Mercedes Half Marathon! I'll have a full recap on the race for you later in the week.

Meanwhile, let's wrap up the week in the snow globe!

Keep Calm and Stay Optimistic When Your Race Plans Go Awry

I wasn't even planning a post for today. My plans for the weekend were a quick trip out of town to Birmingham to meet up with Holly and run the Mercedes Half Marathon. I figured that I wouldn't have time to respond to comments and read other blogs for a Friday post.

As I often say, God laughs at those of us who make plans, and he's having a good laugh right now. As you read this, we in the Chicago area are getting a big snow storm. Predicted totals are 8-14 inches, and they keep upping the amount. Already on Wednesday, I received a text from United that there's a good chance my flight will be canceled.

I'm kind of a wreck about it. I know, first world problems and all but I was really looking forward to this race and spending the weekend with my pal Holly. The good news is that nothing has been canceled as of this morning. I continue to remain optimistic that I will be leaving on that jet plane tomorrow morning.

Staying calm? That's another story...